On Tour with Savage Winds by Michelle C Reilly, meet the Author, and Giveaway

Pirates, people. Not the ugly or the fake kind. This one is real… well, at least the inspiration for him cames from a real Pirate. But I’ll let Michell talking to you about that. Plus, the Heroine is a scientist thrown back in time, which makes it for an interesting match.

Let me present you the story, and then we’ll talk to Michelle.

Savage Winds, Savage Winds Book One byMichelle C Reilly is a Time Travel Romance that will be out tomorrow.

Synopsis.

War, Pirates, Nor The Savage Winds of Time Will Keep Them Apart

Ana Salvatore, a marine biologist, wants nothing more than to have an independent life free of her mobster family. While on an excursion in the Bermuda Triangle with her uncle, his boat explodes, and she wakes to find herself in the arms of gorgeous Captain Jacen Stirling on an ancient ship. It’s like a fairytale, until he tells her the year is 1814.

Jacen is on a secret mission for General Andrew Jackson to infiltrate the infamous privateer Jean Lafitte’s encampment to determine his loyalties. When he discovers Ana while on his way to meet Lafitte, he can’t decide if she’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to him, or the best.

As the Battle of New Orleans draws nearer, can Jacen and Ana work together to help their country beat the invaders? Or will the British, the war, or the savage winds of time keep them apart?

I started writing SAVAGE WINDS back in 1990 – a long time ago. My mother was a huge fan of the Outlander books (I think only Outlander was published by then – she had a first edition! It’s mine now!). She let me read her book, and I was hooked. I completed the first three chapters of my book having no idea of what I was doing. Afterward, I shared what I’d written with some coworkers. Just a few months after this, my life was turned completely upside down, so I never got around to finishing the book. For years my coworkers who had read those chapters would see me in the hallways and hound me for the rest of the story. It wasn’t until 2016 that I was able to get around to finishing Ana and Jacen’s love story.

I chose the Battle of New Orleans because right before starting this book (way back when), I was studying a history book (yes, weird – but my world history teacher wasn’t very good, so I had to learn a lot of history on my own – mainly via historical romance novels – ha!). In it, the author told a story of the famous privateer (or pirate!) Jean Lafitte, and how the British offered him and his Baratarians a full pardon if he would command his men and many ships to help attack the United States. Well, Lafitte, being French and all, wasn’t too keen on the idea of helping the British. He forwarded the proposal to the proper authorities, and they eventually made their way to then General Andrew Jackson.

Jackson was suspicious. Lafitte’s brother was in prison, and the general suspected the pirate was trying to hoodwink them. So he sent a spy down to infiltrate the Baratarians to find out the truth. Immediately my hero, Jacen, sprung to life in my mind. I was so excited, I called the elderly author of the history book and asked him tons of questions. He was very excited about my enthusiasm (and a little shocked I’d tracked him down), and asked that I keep him up to date on the book inspired by his work (unfortunately he passed away in 2014).

The spy confirmed Lafitte was, indeed, telling the truth, and eventually (after having to strongarm Jackson) the Baratarians were allowed to assist the Americans during the end of the 1812 war and the Battle of New Orleans. Many Americans have no idea that if it weren’t for that pirate/privateer/hero, it’s very possible the U.S. would belong to the U.K. to this day. I find this an incredibly inspiring story – the stuff of fairytales. So I based SAVAGE WINDS off of this story, and made my own fairytale. There are at least two more books associated with this story (each stand on their own), so keep a look out for them!

Excerpt:

The latch lifted and Captain Jacen Stirling entered. When he turned to shut the door, she noticed the captain’s own pants had the same double rows of buttons hers had. She made eye contact and found him staring at her with a stone face. Her mouth dropped open, and she stuttered as she realized he’d noticed where her gaze had been.

He glanced down at his black britches. “My trousers aren’t, I admit, at the height of the Parisian fashion standards, but since we are currently at war, I believe priorities are in order.”

She blinked. “I know I’ve been busy finishing up my doctorate, but I hadn’t realized things had become

so much worse in the Middle East that they’ve affected fashion trends.”

“The Middle East?”

“Uh huh.”

“Do you speak of war? In the Middle East?”

“Uh, yeah… The last time I checked. Why? What war are you referring to?”

He stood taller. “I speak of war with Great Britain and their continued efforts to prove our young country isn’t valiant enough to stand on its own.”

“Uh huh,” she muttered. Is he off his meds? “Great Britain, huh?”

He gave a curt nod.

“So, you’re, like, talking Revolutionary War?”

“That war ended some time ago. I speak of our current situation that began in 1812.”

“1812?” She suddenly felt like she was watching the final round of Wimbledon and each opponent kept

gaining the edge to win, only to lose it again. “As in one-eight-one-two?”

“No,” he scoffed. “As in one-nine-one-two. What bloody year did you think I was referring to?”

“Oh, you know, nothing like referring to a war that took place over two hundred years ago,” she said dryly.

He froze, and the edges of his lips rose in a grin. “Two hundred years ago? What year do you think this is?”

“I don’t know… Maybe 2017?”

About the Author:

Michelle C. Reilly is a single mom of two wonderful boys. She spent ten years in the U.S. Navy as a Hospital Corpsman Preventive Medicine Technician, which meant she was actually attached to or stationed with the U.S. Marine Corps. She has a Masters in Science in Public Health, but she is generally an IT geek and a nerd of many other things as well. She currently resides in Las Vegas, NV, with her two cats, Meowdy and Moose, and her labradoodle, Sophie.

She’s self-published the Anathergians Saga, science-fiction/paranormal romance and suspense stories that revolve around a powerful alien species who landed on Earth over five thousand years ago. SAVAGE WINDS, her venture into time romance, was picked up by The Wild Rose Press.